Thursday, April 22, 2010

Real 2K Insider [04-22-10]

This will probably be my final "roster breakdown" for 2K10 as there won't be anything new for me to report aside from adding the minor players that make up the missing 9% of the roster.

I also adjusted the coach profiles again using end of season data, which should help make this my most realistic 2K effort yet.

This was a huge year for me considering 2K revamped it's rating system from 50-99 to 25-99 while adding many new attributes and tendencies. It's safe to say that 2K Sports won't be overhauling 2K11, so by getting all the work down now, much of my data should be able to make a smooth transition into next year's title.

That should give me more time to focus on team by team breakdowns, providing league analysis, and perhaps even focusing on MLB a bit as previously promised... It would also give me a great deal more free time in my every day life.

HIGHLIGHTS
90.6% of all active players in the NBA (387/427) have been edited!
All edited players updated monthly!
No missing players!
Accurate player positions, player roles, and rotations for all teams!
Accurate contracts for all edited players!
Updated shooting tendencies and accessories!
Updated coach profiles for all teams!
Revised speed and quickness ratings for bigmen!
Revised shoot off dribble and shoot in traffic for all players!

Marcus Camby signed a 2 year extension with the Blazers worth 21 million. His presence will take the pressure off Greg Oden and allow him to continue to develop on the bench. This also means the Blazers don't have to depend on Joel Przybilla having a full recovery - Przy re-injured himself slipping in the shower and was likely going to be a 3rd string center upon recovery anyway.

Bit players signed for the playoffs and summer league/training campRob Kurz, Bulls: Stretch four and emergency option for a team lacking shootersOliver Lafayette, Celitcs: Third string PG will get a look over summer.Tony Gaffney, Celtics: More frontcourt depth, see above.Shavlik Randolph, Heat: 3rd string PF, nothing more, nothing less.Coby Karl, Nuggets: Will stay with team so long as George Karl has cancer.Brian Butch, Nuggets: More frontcourt depth.Alexander Johnson, Rockets: Not sure he fits as Rockets are stacked at PF.Dwayne Jones, Suns: One of D-League's best centers.Mustafa Shakur, Thunder: Will take Kevin Ollie's place next season.Greg Stiemsma, Wolves: Keep the centers coming until one actually works.

Jazz center Mehmet Okur ruptured his achilles during the first playoff game against the Nuggets. He had surgery and will be out until at least December - meaning he won't be ready for the outset of next season. This has HUGE ramifications for the Jazz both in the present and future. Not only must Utah rely on two raw backups (Kyrylo Fesenko and Kosta Koufos) in Okur's absence, but there is a possibility Okur may never be the same player again (this is the same injury that Elton Brand had with the Clippers, after all). What makes this an even tougher pill to swallow is the Jazz were likely looking to part ways with Carlos Boozer over the summer and will be seriously lacking depth up front. It's safe to say that owning NY's lottery pick (likely the 9th pick) could not have come at a more crucial time for the franchise.

Brandon Roy tore his meniscus right before the playoffs, and there have been varying reports on how soon he could return - some even project he could return towards the end of the first round if the Blazers make it that far.

Andrew Bogut suffered gruesome season ending injuries which put a damper on his season. The Bucks have no chance in the playoffs without him.

Andrew Bynum, Shaquille O'Neal, and Kenyon Martin returned from injury and returned to their respective team's starting lineups just in time for the playoffs.

Earl Barron signed with the Knicks and quickly found himself starting for the team down the stretch - his presence allowed David Lee to return to his natural PF.

Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili have switched roles since Parker's return from injury. Ginobili has been beasting in the starting lineup and has been a boon for both George Hill and Richard Jefferson. Parker meanwhile automatically becomes one of the league's top sixth men (if not the best).

Kyrylo Fesenko has taken Mehmet Okur's place in the Jazz starting lineup following Okur's injury.

88/C - Tim Duncan (-3)
Duncan's shot blocking tailed off in the second half of the season, as he only had 39 blocks over his last 35 games (1.1 per game). This is also the 2nd straight season Duncan has blocked fewer than 4% of shots (3.7% last year, 3.5% this year, compared to his 4.5% career average), so it looks like the diminished shot blocking is here to stay.

84/PG - Russell Westbrook (+3)
Westbrook had an excellent sophomore season and showed he was more than the next Steve Francis - that he's going to be better. Westbrook had 38.6 AST% this season (7th in league), a vast improvement from last season's 27.5 AST% He's a better defender than Derrick Rose, and just as athletic. If he can fix his broken jumpshot, he'll be better than Rajon Rondo (which means, you guessed it, a bonafide star).

83/PF - Pau Gasol (-3)
Personally, I find it comical (as usual) that the 2K Insider RAISED Pau Gasol because he averaged 24 ppg during the month of April. OF COURSE HE DID! He was playing without Kobe and Bynum! All Gasol did was show us he's still a go-to scorer. I dropped Gasol because he was a softer defender this season - the Lakers are the greatest defensive team of all-time if you buy into 2K's defaults.

83/PG - Derrick Rose (+3)
Rose willed the Bulls into the playoffs by averaging 25 ppg during 8 April games. Rose struggled early in the season with an ankle injury, but turned it on after November and carried his overmatched team to the playoffs. Just imagine if his team had a 3pt shooter or a post presence...

77/PG - Stephen Curry (+3)
I've been calling Curry the next Mike Bibby for quite a while now, and he didn't disappoint, averaging 17.5 ppg and 5.9 apg for the league's most statistic enhancing team (any other team and that's 16 and 5 - still respectable numbers, especially for a 21 year old rookie). Curry shot the lights out from downtown this season, hitting 166 threes (6th) on a .437 percentage (7th). However, he's going to need to improve upon a 2:1 Assist to Turnover ratio if he's going to be a legit point guard in this league.

76/PF - Andray Blatche (+4)
Blatche thrived after the Wizards traded Antawn Jamison. He averaged 22.1 ppg, 8.3 rpg, and 3.6 apg after the all-star break. Going forward, he'll need to improve upon his rebounding, because it's unlikely that he'll ever be a #1 option on a playoff team (though he's certainly young enough to prove me wrong). Blatche is set to make 6.8 million dollars over the next two seasons - he is easily the best bargain in the entire league.

73/SF - Terrence Williams (+6)
Williams was abominable as a reserve for the first 4 months of the season, but got it going once the team gave him regular playing time down the stretch. He averaged 14-7-5 on 44% shooting across March and April, which is much more indicitive of the player he was touted to be on draft day than the player who shot an ugly 37% for much of the year.

72/PG - Rodrigue Beaubois (+4)
Beaubois had a solid rookie season and is a better overall player than JJ Barea. Look for him to steal Barea's job as Kidd's backup next training camp (if Barea is even with the team by then).

70/SF - Nicolas Batum (+3)
Batum shot the lights out in his 2nd season, increasing his TS% from .555 to .646. At just 21 years of age, he's one of the most promising young players in the NBA.

69/SG - Tracy McGrady (-6)
T-Mac was a shell of his former self and looked worse than Larry Hughes at times with the Knicks. He wants to latch onto a contender as a starter but an opportunity like that may not be available. It's conceivable that he's played his last game as he's mentioned retirement as an option if his knee doesn't fully recover.

69/PF - Jordan Hill (+3)
Hill showed he was at least a quality reserve with Houston, which begs the question: Why did the Knicks sign Jonathan Bender out of retirement to steal his minutes? Bender was brittle and unimpressive, while Knick fans never really had a chance to see what they had in the lottery pick they dumped in a cap clearing move.

68/SF - Reggie Williams (+4)
Williams showed that D-Leaguer's got talent, averaging 15 ppg on 49% shooting for Golden State's injury decimated team. To be quite honest, many more of these D-Leaguers would be getting called up if the NBA didn't have guaranteed contracts. It's a shame, because many of these guys are just making the jump to Europe because the D-League barely pays and full-time NBA gigs rarely present themselves.

64/PG - Shaun Livingston (+4)
Livingston averaged 11.2 ppg and 4.9 apg on 53% shooting as a starter with the Wizards. Washington didn't win many of those games, and those numbers aren't mindblowing for 30.7 mpg, but it's great to see Livingston is finally back after his career was derailed by injury. He'll make a fine reserve for some NBA team next season.